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Driving home this afternoon I got so tired of radio advertisements that I turned the radio off.  It’s a little scary admitting that out loud being that I work in the marketing and advertising industry.

But my reaction wasn’t an anomaly.  In fact consumers everywhere are showing greater aversion to all kinds of advertising.  Consider these findings from an online survey of more than 2,000 respondents:

• 79.4% of respondents use an internet pop-up blocker
• 68.2% of respondents use an email spam filter
• 72.5% of respondents classified advertisements as “annoying” or “extremely annoying”
• 56.4% of respondents would rather eliminate all advertising from their life than leave it as it is.

One would think statistics like that would send marketers packing for good.  Oddly enough, I am as optimistic about future marketing opportunities as ever.

Why?  Because the digital technology advancements that have altered media consumption expectations and changed ad perception are also providing the analytics necessary for us to be better informed about consumers than ever before.

The result – We are developing more relevant communications that consumers value and respond to.

No more “shotgun-in-the-dark” mass media ads for us. We prefer a new-model approach – where relevance is king.

INSIGHT, what a great word.  I really sums up so much of what we do and the challenges we face.  I often define my work as, “calculating the distance between my present state and change”. 

I read recently where the analytics market will soon reach 1 Billion in value (in the US alone).  This represents a sea change in how we go about measuring market activity, but all to shore up one thing - insight.  At the end of the day what hasn’t changed is the need for insight.  It’s what our customers value the most - and pay for.    And, I should add, it’s what we do best.

I believe many marketers masks their lack ability for insight by talking mostly about methods and processes.  While those are important, it’s still about what you do with the information that you have access to.  Everything else is a means to that end.  Insight.

Everyone roots for the underdog at one time or another.  Everyone has been the underdog at one time or another - and for some, more than most.  The same can be true of brands in the marketplace.I recently saw a campaign from an upcoming brand and it was obvious that the brand must have felt bullied by a major player in the brand space.  It wasn’t positioning itself, it was striking out at the ‘unmentioned’ bully.  And there really was no redeemable marketing value in the campaign.If you’re the underdog - CONGRATULATIONS!  There is something special about the prospect of being the next big thing.  Reality is that you might have to play in the same playground alongside the resident bully, but at least you know when he’s there and where he’s at.

Could we be reaching the bottom of the bottom?  According to many analyst the first week of March was the bottom.  That is a strong signal to advertisers.  Get in the game now and get in strong!

Just as financial analysts predict the bottom as a time to “buy”, so goes the marketing game.  And it’s not just about media-buy, but rather authentic brand awareness opportunities that cost less when markets are at an all time low. Buy in now and win big when the market returns strong.

Uncertain times reveal experience and it is obvious of those who’ve been through this cycle before.  Is your brand out there?